Following an AMBER Alert, a Seattle woman was arrested in Federal Way after allegedly kidnapping a one-year-old baby from a learning academy after a restraining order hearing initiated by the baby’s parents was not upheld.

On April 2, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Quiana Marks, 46, with second-degree kidnapping for allegedly stealing a 22-month-old baby from the MARS Early Learning Academy in Seattle on March 28.

Marks allegedly stole the baby — referred to as CV in court documents — and then drove to Federal Way, where she ditched her vehicle and the baby at O’Relly’s Auto Parts, 32411 Pacific Hwy. S., before she attempted to catch an Uber. She was then kicked out and attempted to hide from police in a restaurant, but was subsequently arrested.

Marks is currently being held at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on a $500,000 bail. Her next hearing on April 10 is her arraignment, where an initial plea is entered.

Details of the case

According to charging documents, at about 2:55 p.m. March 28, officers responded to a 911 call from the MARS Early Learning Academy, reporting that a child had been abducted. Officers were informed by employees that a woman was knocking on the window, and after an employee opened it to see what she needed, she barged in and took CV, documents state.

Documents state that the employee thought it was strange that the woman was knocking because parents usually know the pickup routine. According to documents, an employee said that Marks told her that she couldn’t show identification to pick up CV, before she pushed her way through the building and retrieved the child.

Documents state that an employee followed Marks out and saw her enter a gray Dodge Challenger. The employee then called CV’s mother, and after giving her a description, the mother believed the woman who took CV was Marks, and she confirmed that she drove a gray Dodge Charger, according to documents.

Documents state that officers then retrieved security footage from the parking lot, which showed who CV’s mother said was Marks. Officers then attempted to locate Marks at her known addresses, but after that was unsuccessful, an AMBER Alert was issued for CV, documents state.

CV’s mother told officers that Marks was a former family friend who recently had been making threats involving guns toward her and her family, and that she even damaged her husband’s vehicle, documents state. According to documents, CV’s mother said that Marks is known to carry multiple handguns at once.

CV’s mother said that she had been granted a temporary restraining order against Marks, but that on the day of the kidnapping, the order was not upheld by a judge. Documents state that CV’s mother estimates that immediately after the restraining order hearing, Marks must have left her home to kidnap CV.

According to documents, CV’s mother received a call from Marks, and she said that she would meet her at the Seattle Police Department’s South Precinct. Documents state that officers then tracked Marks through GPS location on her phone and found that she was not going toward Seattle, but was instead in Kent and seemed to be heading toward Federal Way.

Documents state that officers then located Marks’ Dodge Charger in the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts parking lot, but Marks had run from the vehicle and left behind CV. Documents state that CV was crying, but not injured, and alongside the child, they located an unloaded Glock 19 and a loaded .38 Special revolver.

According to documents, a security guard at a nearby Key Bank said that he had witnessed a Black female exit the Dodge Charger alone, run toward a bus stop, and then use her phone while multiple police vehicles surrounded the Dodge Charger. Documents state that the security guard then witnessed the female enter a four-door sedan, which was an Uber.

The security guard then told the Uber driver that he thought the woman was a kidnapping suspect, prompting the driver to ask her to leave, documents state. According to documents, the security guard then told officers that he saw the woman run and enter the Chosun Korean BBQ restaurant, 1616 S. 325th St., prompting officers to go inside and arrest her. The security guard then identified the woman as Marks in a photo lineup.

Documents state that inside the Dodge Charger, they located a hat that read, “It is what it is,” which she was seen wearing at the learning academy. Documents state that officers attempted to ask Marks questions once she was in custody, but she invoked her rights and asked for a lawyer.